Testing levels for object-oriented software

One of the characteristics of object-oriented software is the complex dependency that may exist between classes due to inheritance, association and aggregation relationships. Hence, where to start testing and how to define an integration strategy are issues that require further investigation. This paper presents an approach to define a test order by exploiting a model produced during design stages (e.g., using OMT, UML), namely the class diagram. Our goal is to minimize the number of stubs to be constructed in order to decrease the cost of testing. This is done by testing a class after the classes it depends on. The novelty of the test order lies in the fact that it takes account of: (i) dynamic (polymorphism) dependencies; (ii) abstract classes that cannot be instantiated, making some testing levels infeasible. The test order is represented by a graph showing which testing levels must be done in sequence and which ones may be done independently. It also provides information about the classes involved in each level and how they are involved (e.g., instantiation or not). The approach is implemented in a tool called TOONS (testing level generator for object-oriented software). It is applied to an industrial case study from the avionics domain.